November 2008

It Takes A Village Conversations with the Moon The full moon of November takes place on Wednesday, November 12 at 10:19pm Pacific Time, in the vedic lunar sign of Krittika. Once upon a time the demons had wangled their way into control over the heavens. So the gods asked one of the most powerful among them, Shiva, for his help. Shiva was unable to act on behalf of the gods directly, but he did promise to produce a son who would restore justice. The demons learned of Shiva's promise and set out to destroy this child of Shiva. So Karttikeya was sent into hiding, and there, was fostered by the seven wives of the seven seers. (Sound a little like the Moses story?) When Karttikeya was old enough, he destroyed the demonic forces and gave the heavens back to the gods. So goes a story from the ancient Indian classical texts called the Puranas. The seven wives are collectively represented in the sky by the constellation we in the west call the Pleiades, (called "Krittika" in vedic lore.) There's more energy available around this full moon, for discerning mental analysis, especially the kind that questions its own assumptions. Write this day into your calendar: Thursday, November 27, 8:55am Pacific Time - the New Moon in Anuradha. This new moon day is a time to celebrate friendship. Anyone you send positive energy to, will benefit: your best friend, your lover, your mother, your president, your president elect.

Planning & Scheduling Living in Accord with the Seasons The Sun and Mars travel together in vedic Scorpio for most of this lunar cycle, highlighting our human fascination with power. Mercury joins Sun and Mars in Scorpio from Nov. 20 - Dec. 9. Leaders make demands. Those in power express themselves with force. Venus joins Jupiter in vedic Sagittarius from Nov. 8 to Dec. 3. Venus forms an exact conjunction with Pluto on the night of the full moon - expect to see Obama's popularity be an international obsession. Also expect to see all those with popularity use it as a platform from which to proselytize their views. Here in the United States we like to think we are isolated individuals and that our actions have little consequences other than for ourselves. These next few months will bring increasing evidence of the contrary. On election day, Saturn and Uranus squared off in the first of three oppositions. The next two come in Sept. 2009, and in Jul./Aug. 2010. Expect to see big clashes between those who would spread wealth and those who would keep it in the hands of a few, over these next two years. Watch our understanding of money change.

Salman Rushdie on Stories "Those who do not have power over the story that dominates their lives, power to retell it, to rethink it, deconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as times change, truly are powerless, because they cannot think new thoughts." ~Salman Rushdie

May 2008

Planning & Scheduling Living in Accord with the Seasons The Sun has moved into vedic Taurus, bringing sensual enjoyments and a focus on material life. Mercury and Venus are both accompanying the Sun in Taurus by May 21, (with an aspect from Saturn,) bringing enjoyment of all the simple pleasures - a well-prepared meal, hard labor aimed at creating that explosion of color in the garden, lemonade out on the porch during a sunset... . Write these dates into your calendar: May 26 - June 18, Mercury is retrograde. Review, rewrite, edit, comb through for accuracy. Wait until after June 18 to initiate projects or sign contracts. Leave plenty of time to get home from Memorial Day weekend on Monday the 26th. Mars is in Cancer (Apr. 29 - Jun. 21). You might be in a nesting mode lately. Getting the house ready for summer, doing repairs on the house, buying things for the house - all these things might be sparked with Mars in Cancer. Mars and Saturn will join up in July in vedic Leo, signifying a period of pushing through to finish up a piece of work, leaving little time for enjoying the home front, so enjoy your cozy nest now! Mars has been traveling with Ketu since May 6 and conjoins Ketu on June 15th. June 15 could be a day when people in general feel like they will be willing to defend their personal safety and security at all costs. (Think of a Mama bear defending her cubs.) Tread lightly around volatile personalities. Jupiter retrogrades through vedic Sag. as of May 9th, for roughly 4 months, getting us to review new understandings, implement new teachings, research new opportunities. Saturn went direct on May 3rd, (after having been retrograde since Dec. 19th,) ending a long and arduous waiting period for leaders and real estate. Watch the Democratic Primaries finally draw to a close and watch the real estate market seem to be on the upswing again, even if temporarily. Remember last month's statement about Neptune conjoining Rahu in Aquarius for the last week in April and the first week in May?: "...creating an actual weather possibility around unusually strong thunder and lightning storms, and stormy seas. Maybe postpone the boat cruise?..." Myanmar's cyclone is part of this Neptune Rahu conjunction - the storm began in the Indian Ocean.

The Star of Alliances Conversations with the Moon This month, the full moon takes place on Monday May 19, at 7:12pm PDT, in the vedic lunar sign of Anuradha. In this part of the sky, alliances, friendships, and friendliness, are highlighted. The full moon in this constellation reminds us of what it means to be a good friend and brings out in us qualities like loyalty, friendliness, even devotion. On a global scale, on the national front, and even in our personal lives, we'll be keenly aware of how much our friends mean to us around this full moon. We may hear more about foreign aid to cyclone victims in Myanmar. We may be speculating about the winning Democratic Presidential nominee's running mate. And we will likely be personally lining up Memorial Day holiday celebrations with friends. Since the Moon and Mars are exchanging signs, there might also be a particularly strong feeling of wanting to connect with family and draw to us our support systems that bring the feeling of emotional security. Write this day into your calendar: Tuesday, June 3 - the New Moon in Rohini. This is a good time to contemplate where you want to put your energies. The next two weeks after the New Moon will give you more bang for your buck around the natural law "whatever you put your attention on, grows." With Saturn's aspect, things will grow slowly, but they'll also stick around for a long time.

June 2007

Red Hot Heart, This Blue Moon Watching the Vedic Moon The second Full Moon of this month, (known as a Blue Moon) happens on Wednesday, May 31st at 6:04pm Pacific Time, in the lunar sign of Anuradha. This full moon in Anuradha has a quality similar to the pining in the song of the troubadour. Longing, heartfelt sentiment and deep intimacy are it's themes, even while all the other stuff is present: doubts, thoughts about practicality, and fears about what might happen. Once in a blue moon, unusual opportunities come along in relationships, or for relationship. Both people are open and willing to stay in an unprotected state of generosity. The feeling of vulnerability isn't covered over with posturing, so much as simply observed. This full moon is imbued with this sort of potential. Due to other astrological factors, there will also likely be a pull to make something concrete out of this opportunity. To unite, or to commit, or to define the relationship, or even perhaps, to break it off, if it proves to be unsustainable. And when the anguish of unrequited love is too much to bear, sometimes all you can do is dance.

Planning & Scheduling Living In Accord With The Seasons Venus moves into Cancer on May 31, conjoining Saturn, getting us to produce enjoyment on demand. Artists are accustomed to this circumstance, so this transit may prove to be a prolific time for creativity. On the other hand relationships may experience the strain of demands. Neptune continues his opposition to Saturn, culminating this month, stretching our inner polarity between magical thinking and practical progress. We may find ourselves looking frantically for familiar escape hatches, while simultaneously working harder than ever on a dream. Mercury is retrograde from June 15 through July 9. We've all experienced it - the rescheduling, the communications devices breaking down, the crossed signals. Use the Mercury retrograde period for editing, reconnecting with old friends, and revisiting old ideas. If possible, wait to begin important new projects until after Mercury goes direct.

Faithful Lover by Hafiz The moon came to me last night With a sweet question. She said, "The sun has been my faithful lover For millions of years. Whenever I offer my body to him Billiant light pours from his heart. Thousands then notice my happiness And delight in pointing Toward my beauty. Hafiz, Is it true that our destiny Is to turn into Light Itself?" And I replied, Dear moon, Now that your love is maturing, We need to sit together Close like this more often So I might instruct you How to become Who you Are!